Are you also diagnosed as having a thyroid problem?
If so add your most recent results and ranges for TSH, FT4, FT3 plus TPO and TG thyroid antibodies and also very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Hidden is knowledgeable on the subject of the adrenal glands. I've just tagged her, and if she feels able to comment, and she sees the notification, then she might be able to help.
Deecam has recently been diagnosed with Addison's.
Hi I have adrenal insufficiency due to removal of a pituitary tumour which caused Cushing's, now the tumour has gone, I don't produce cortisol. I'm on just over 20mgs a day of HC. Have you joined the Uk Addisons disease society? It's well worth joining for help & advice. Also if you are on Facebook then there is UK Addisons info & support group which has some very knowledgeable people in it. How do you take your HC, ie what times & how do you split it up? There is a lot of research now to suggest taking smaller doses more frequently helps with a lot of symptoms. HC only lasts for between4 -6 hours in the body, so it could be that you are going long periods in between doses when there is very little or no cortisol in your body. So I take my HC split into 5 doses a day, sometimes 6 depending on my level of activity.
I'm afraid fatigue would seem to be one of the main issues. I take 25mg hydrocortisone:- 10mg on waking, 10mg at lunchtime and 5 mg at around 4.30pm. I find this works best for me. From your results above it seems that your body is not converting FT4 to FT3. I had the same problem and, after reading about it online, had to beg to be put on T3 tablet (Cytomel). It certainly made a big difference to the way I feel. I hope you feel 'better able to cope' soon.
Hello, I have Addison’s and Hashimotos Disease. Both of these autoimmune diseases can and do bring on fatigue, muscle and joint pain, bad headaches and more. I have to follow a strict diet to stay healthy in addition to taking hydrocortisone 25 mg daily and NP thyroid. I am also Vitamin D deficient and take a high dose supplement for this weekly. I also take a Magnesium supplement at night. Even with all of this I can become very tired/ drained and especially in stressful times or when I come down with a cold. I still have Addison’s symptoms from time to time and also hypothyroid (Hashimoto's disease). I go to bed early. Sometimes this is due to having bad headaches. I have learned to manage my disease, when to relax and take care of my health. This is very useful. Cortisol levels can change due to many different factors. You have to figure out what works for you. I have always enjoyed exercising and still do. Balancing this with Addison’s Disease/ adrenal insufficiency is hard but it helps with my hypothyroid symptoms and a little bit of exercise is healthy for all of us. When I need to take a nap, I do. My advise for you would be -to learn how much hydrocortisone you need daily and when you need to dose up due to colds, etc. Find a way to relax, manage your symptoms and health and never feel bad when you don’t feel well and need to take care of yourself.
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